So I was doing alright but they didn't have any work, so I was having half days and days off, so when it came to going to work I didn't want to go did I 'cos I didn't really enjoy it, I only enjoyed the money. One of my mum's friends, her husband was a pattern cutter down at Eatoughs (Shilton)...I was 17 nearly then so of course he got me a job and I've never looked back from there, never lost any time - got on a machine soon got going and earnt the money and I went back and forward to there until I was about 59 and then they retired you.

Oh yes it was horrible, it had a horrible smell, see the shoeing had got a smell, and the hosiery, and it smelt of oil. I thought, oh dear, I shall never eat my lunch but do you know, I ate my lunch every day and I started to get fat. I enjoyed it really at times. The women were a bit rough and ready and they used to tell me no end of tales you know, like they do, and I used to...ha ha, oh I do remember it, some of the things they used to tell you.

I told her I'd been going with him - it was my husband you see - I don't know how I could go with him without telling her 'cos he'd got to come up from this farm you see, so I